3 Cavs who have impressed in first two preseason games

3 players who have impressed for Cavs: Donovan Mitchell

Purely by the stats, Darius Garland has had a slightly better preseason than Donovan Mitchell thus far; he’s averaging more points on better shooting efficiency, more assists and fewer turnovers. Yet what Mitchell has done is unlock the offense for the Cavs and shown right off the bat what a dangerous player he is, with and without the basketball.

Mitchell has been on fire from 3-point range, hitting 55.6 percent of his nine attempts in just 23 minutes per game. That included an absolute rainbow in the second game from back near the logo. That range opened up the paint for everyone else to go to work, and both Garland and Caris LeVert benefited on their drives to score and to pass.

When he’s not shooting, Mitchell’s drive game is fantastic. He is slithery enough to make his way into the paint with and without a screen, and then he looks for open teammates on the 3-point line for kickout passes. Garland loves to find the lob pass; Mitchell’s vision is primarily outwards.

It’s not all perfect; he had some defensive miscues and has missed a few ill-advised 2-point jumpers. Yet the coup de grace was seen in transition, when Garland threw a half-court lob pass to the rim where Mitchell skied in and slammed it home. That athleticism, and their collective vision, will make Garland and Mitchell a positively terrifying combination this season.